Angels For a Reason

The River

When Sue awoke five minutes later me and the others were carrying her back to the campsite. She looked around, confused at first but gradually realization set in and a panicked expression bestowed itself on her pretty face. I felt her breathing coming out in hard and shallow outbursts and it didn’t slow down until we were sat around a campfire made from twigs and branches, nobody dared speak, we just glanced at each other, watching the firelight flicker over each others faces. For hours we sat there, just studying each other with a never ending silence broken only when Dylan coughed awkwardly.

"So." He said loudly. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Me and Rosie looked down at our feet. I would never be able to tell Dylan about the locket, never. But I could sense an argument raging inside Sue’s head.

“It’s between us, Dyl” I said in the most normal voice I could muster

“You can’t keep it from me Sarah!” He seemed intimidated and I couldn’t see why.

“Why can’t I?”

“Because, I’m your brother! There’s meant to be no secrets between us, you know that”

“Sometimes it’s just not possible to do that” Tears were stinging my eyes and his face were set in a grimace as the silence fell again. I looked to where Rosie and Sue sat side-by-side on a log and gestured for a bit of help but they both seemed lost for words.

“You don’t trust me” He whispered and the reasoning for his intimidation became clear.

“That’s silly, Dyl” I gasped, struggling to find the right things to say

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Tears were glazed over his eyes now and I felt sadness rising up my stomach like bubbles. How could he think I didn’t trust him? We spent 14 years telling each other everything- this was the only secret he didn’t know and I had a feeling that its effect would take an awfully long time to wear down.

“Of course it isn’t true” I managed to say but my voice sounded faint and croaky. It betrayed my thoughts and feelings as Dylan looked sure of something. Hold on, I thought as an unfamiliar feeling come alive in the pit of my stomach, his next words interrupted my thoughts yet it proved them true,

“Your Lying” The harshness of his tone scared me and my bottom lip trembled as indignation and anger rose up from the pit of my stomach threatening to break down the barriers I’d built.

“I never Lie” My voice was growing stronger as more of the mental barriers collapsed.

“You are now! You don’t trust me! You’re a LIAR!!” He was completely crying now, the unhidden tears crashing to the floor as the rage inside me reached boiling point. With one swift swipe I left a scorching red mark on his right cheek. The anger left my body immediately as anguish took over.

“Enough” I whispered in disbelief of my own actions. “Enough” I whispered again, walking slowly over to my tent. I looked back to see Rosie and Sue staring worriedly at me, looking for a hint of what might have been going on inside my head. I forced myself to look at Dylan; he was stood in the same spot with one hand on his burning cheek, the other pointing at me in accusation the confusion on his face made my throat constrict. I tried to say sorry but the shame was too great and slowly, I slid onto the tent floor, hid my face in my sleeping bag and cried myself to sleep.

It was bright outside when I awoke and the suns rays shining through the tent helped to lift my mood slightly. My throat felt sore from the shouting argument I’d had with Dylan the previous night and I stared at my hand in wonder. I’d never slap him I thought to myself, never, so why had I done so last night? I felt confused, my body didn’t seem real to me anymore.

“Your awake then?” Someone grumbled from beside me. I started and sat up suddenly as I felt the person beside me cringe. I looked down and saw Rosie, her long hair scattered around her, those dark eyes looking at me curiously. “What happened last night Sarah?”

“You saw what happened” I felt ashamed again and the suns rays seemed to darken to match my mood.

“Sorry but I need to ask you Honey, What made you slap Dyl?”

“I don’t know” I said honestly. “It just…sort of… happened” My voice trailed away and I stared at the floor not being able to look at her.

Just go out there and apologize to him” She said soothingly. She lay a soft hand on my shoulder before going back to sleep, leaving me to soak in my thoughts. I tried to close my eyes again and force away the sadness that my brother might not want to accept an apology just yet but sleep would not come to my beckoning mind. I ran a hand through my messy blonde hair and plucked up enough courage to say sorry.

I walked out of the tent five minutes later in fresh clothes and walked over to where the remnants of our campfire faltered in the shallow breeze. Nobody else was up yet and taking the large saucepan I began the trek leading to the river that ran alongside the forest. It might be a longer walk, I thought to myself, but I would have to be desperate to use that water pump again. Almost suddenly I wished I hadn’t thought of the pump as images of the blood, of the dead rat and the locket scrambled them-selves into my memory. I grimaced and tried to focus on the beautiful landscape surrounding me.

The warm, summer air whispered through the tall trees giving all living creatures the influence that they were talking through they’re withered barks. The leaves were sitting comfortably in their birth places on the branches, refusing to leave. It was their right to be there; likewise their job to watch over the forest and the birds fluttering through it. The ground I walked on was hard and crunchy. I felt bits of solid soil uncomfortably settle itself in the soles of my trainers and winced every-time a new bit squirmed its way through the gaps. It wasn’t long until the path faded away leaving me in-front of a thicket of bushes and rocks. I stumbled over them and heard a faint trickling of water, heading towards my destination I halted suddenly. I could hear humming behind the bushes but when I peeped through them I saw no-one. I stepped out and thought it must have been a trick of my mind. I’m just paranoid I thought, well, until I blacked out…..

When I woke I was lying face down next to a long flowing river. It took me a while to think of how I got there but realization set in at the same time as a nasty throbbing echoed in my head. I felt my hot forehead but I was satisfied with the appearance of no blood on my hands. I filled the saucepan up with water and headed back to the campsite, wondering what had happened. They all looked at me with relieved grins when I sat next to them but as she sat to my right; Sue gave out a short gasp.

“What’s up?” I asked her curiously. Rosie looked up from the fire she had just made and as she took the saucepan from me sloped half of the water over the edges.

“Careful” I cautioned “I had to walk all the way to the river for that”

“So that’s where you went” Sue exclaimed in disbelief “We looked all over for you!” But then her face grew worried again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, curiosity getting the better of me.

“What happened out there Sarah?” Rosie looked up from the fire again and Dylan even looked over.

“What do you mean?” I asked her, troubled.

“Why have you got a tattoo on the side of your head?” I couldn’t believe it! Was this some kind of joke?

“I haven’t got anything on the side of my face!” I said indignantly

“Wait a moment” She ran to the tent and hurried out with a make-up bag. After rooting inside for a couple of moments she pulled out a slightly dusty mirror.

“How can you wear make-up when you’re camping?” I asked her exasperatedly. Will this girl go to no limits to look pretty constantly?

“Easy” she replied handing over the mirror. I looked at my reflection closely, a pale face with rosy cheeks and cherry red lips in contrast to stunningly clear blue walnut shaped eyes. Messy blonde hair strung with dirt surrounded the face yet on the side of the face was a black mark no bigger than one of my eyes. It was a capital A with a scrawny red circle over the top of it.

“What the…” I never got to finish what I was saying as Rosie butted in.

“It’s a clan mark” She said hoisting herself of the floor and Sue moved aside so she could get a better look. “But I don’t know what clan this is. It looks like a spiritual clan due to the red circle but as for the A that must be personal”

“Great” I exclaimed “Just great”

“How did this happen?” Dylan had spoken finally and I felt relieved that he could look me in the eyes”

“I don’t know” I tried to think back to the river but as soon as I had stepped out of the bush I felt a bang on the back of my head and everything went black until I woke up again and made my way back. I explained this to them and Dylan looked sure that he knew what had happened.

“Well its obvious isn’t it?” He said in the criticizing tone he used so frequently “This clan must have knocked her out then marked her head”

“Oh subtle one” I said mockingly, Rosie laughed but Sue looked deep in thought. #

“Hey, what you thinking about?” I asked her and she snapped out of her absent gaze immediately.

“You remember when Fiona came with us last year?” She started. Me and Rosie were both looking at her interestingly now and Dylan looked curious again. “Well when we left the camp I went round her house for dinner because my parents were out and she showed me a mark on her chest, it was the same mark you have.”

“Sue,” I started carefully, “When Fiona died, no-one found a mark on her; otherwise her parents would have asked us about it.”

“They asked me” She revealed

“And?”

“I said we’d all been messing around with that fake tattoo ink” There was a silence after this and I suddenly appreciated how hard this must be for Sue, Fiona was her best friend and she had passed away 2 weeks after the camping trip last year with no apparent cause of death. The same circumstances were here. We were in the same place, at the same time, with the same number of people and I had got the same mark as a dead friend. The last thing I needed to be sure of was the next question I had to ask Sue.

“Did Fiona say where she got the mark?” Tears were falling down Sue’s cheek as she said the next two words and I new we were facing a problem, a big one.

“The river”…..



Angels For A Reason